Star Wars stars, new and old, out in Force as Episode 7 cast is announced

Star Wars: Episode 7 finally has its stars, new and old. May the Force be with them.

After months of carefully guarded secrecy and endless speculation, the cast of the latest incarnation of the space epic was unveiled on Tuesday on the official Star Wars website by Lucasfilm and the Walt Disney Co.

Starring in J.J. Abrams' film are: John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Max von Sydow, Andy Serkis and Domhnall Gleeson. They join returning Star Wars veterans Harrison Ford (Han Solo), Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) and Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia). Peter Mayhew is also back as Chewbacca, while Anthony Daniels returns as C-3PO and Kenny Baker will reprise RD-D2.

Out of the original trilogy actors, Ford - who carved out the biggest career outside Star Wars - is said to the have the largest part in the new film, with one report describing his role as "gigantic".

The companies did not name the characters each of the new actors will play, though Driver, the breakout star of HBO's Girls, is tipped to play the main villain.

"It is both thrilling and surreal to watch the beloved original cast and these brilliant new performers come together to bring this world to life, once again," director and co-writer Abrams said in a statement. "We start shooting in a couple of weeks, and everyone is doing their best to make the fans proud."